Summer In Bloom
by Sunshine Liquid Rain
Summary: Cand (my made up character) can finally find time to go outside, and the sun is finally shining. She discovers her love for her long friend Legolas Greenleaf. She struggles with this and her situation back home. I do not own Middle Earth, the elvish language, or any characters other than my own. The romance is between Legolas and Cand, if there was a misconception. :p
1. Chapter One: Sunny Day Freedom

It was never a good day for rain when summer was finally here, and the days had just begun to warm up. It had rained nonstop the last few months, and it was the sun's turn to brighten moods in north Mirkwood. The elf children ran around playfully, mothers keeping two watchful eyes on the energetic youngsters when they could spare them, and the sun had risen early. It truly was a cheerful day, and Cand (meaning bold in Sindarin), an elf-maiden, thought it was a perfect opportunity to explore the woods. She got up early with the blazing sun, when the forest was just waking, and the dew from dawn still glistened on everything, making everything beautiful and glossy in its coat of crystal water droplets. She finished braiding back her hair and strapped on her quiver, full of arrows she had ample time to carve in the freezing winter.

When Cand was finally out in the forest, she had her bow, and the other hand gently running over the thawed, twisted trunks of trees, and branches. She stopped once to pick a delicate pink flower, just bloomed in the spring. Cand smiled when she finally arrived at her favourite spot in the forest just outside her home. A clearing of grass sparkled with dewdrops, and big, old oak tree with twisting branches stood tall in the far corner. She climbed up to branch that let her swing her legs. Happy to finally be outside, she sighed. Cand closed her eyes, absorbing the warm rays and started to sing an elvish song she remembered about the sun.

Then, the branch shook with added weight. She snapped open her eyes, her fingertips brushing an arrow that Cand had packed into her quiver, along with several others. Cand relaxed when it was only Legolas.

"Hasn't your father talked to you about being around commoners?" She teased, smiling.

Legolas shrugged. "I needed some company, and I thought you would be here, taking advantage of the sun."

Cand shook her head in a scolding way. "Your father will be angry."

"Let him be angry." Legolas said, glancing over at her.

She squinted at the treetops above them. The trees spread apart enough to let in small bands of light. She jumped down from the tree branch, and began to walk back into the woods. Cand heard Legolas follow. They walked in silence for a while.

Cand spoke as the quiet began to get awkward. "It's been raining for so long, I nearly forgot what the sun felt like."

Legolas nodded. He was quiet as usual. Cand twisted up her face into a confused expression, but didn't let the elf prince see her face. They had been friends for so long, practically all their long lives (about 3,000), and he never said much to her. Legolas almost always just observed, which was something he was good at. It was hard to read his expressions well, but Cand didn't mind. He made a good companion, and never acted any higher than Cand, though he was a prince. Cand spun around once, just to see his face. She smiled to herself. She felt that there was something more that she felt than friendship, and after so long she only now begun to realize it.

"Legolas, the sun is out and you are so quiet!" Cand exclaimed.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked.

"Something! Anything! Just say something," She coaxed.

"Something," He said, smiling.

"Oh, I see how we are today." Cand said, stopping and putting her hands on her skinny hips.

Legolas stopped beside her. She looked at him hard and long before she spoke again.

"Why are you so quiet?" Cand demanded.

"There's nothing to say." He replied, shrugging.

"Stop shrugging, or your arms will fall off!" She cried.

They stood silent for a while. The birds and the cricket's chirps were the only thing that filled the silence. Cand's face softened.

"If your arms fell off, I wouldn't be able to hug my best friend anymore." Cand said while hugging Legolas.

She tightly wrapped her arms around him, and he hugged her back, tense at first. She could feel his warm body against hers, and looked up to see his face and tips of his pointy ears blushing. They stood there for a few moments, before he pulled away.

"Legolas, have you ever…" Cand trailed off, thinking of how to word her next sentence. "Said le melin (I love you in Sindarin) and actually mean it?"

Legolas hesitated for a second before answering. They once again began walking through the forest, both of them walking slow.

"Yes," He replied. "I remember always telling my mother."

Cand was quiet for a minute. "Have you ever told another… she elf and truly mean it?"

Legolas was quick to reply to that question. "No."

Cand raised a golden, curious eyebrow. "Why not?"

He shrugged. "I was always afraid they wouldn't love me back."

Cand nodded. "Why would anyone not love a charming, fine elf prince such as yourself?"

He smiled. "You flatter me."

"Don't make fun, I was being serious." She smiled playfully.

"I know," He said. "I was just teasing."

"I think I should go back. My mother is probably up by now, and she's fretful if I'm gone when she wakes," Cand said quietly.

"Oh." Legolas said, with the same softness in her tone.

She turned to go back home, but stopped, and bit her bottom lip. Cand was deciding whether to do what she wanted to do. She turned around.

"Wait," She said, walking towards him.

He stopped and turned around. Before he could open his mouth to say something, Cand had kissed him full in the lips. It was a mute kiss, for only seconds. After that, they were both blushing red as beets. Cand turned to go back home, and they both left each other without another word. Cand couldn't bring herself to regret her sudden action though. She was still embarrassed, even thought she was by herself now. She smiled to herself, as her heart still fluttered. Kissing the elf prince wasn't as bad as she thought.

As she walked home, she sang a song in elvish that she remembered about love. Her walk had accumulated a bounce, and she still felt her face red. It wasn't a long walk back home, since Cand was skipping half the time. She lived in a small cottage at the edge of the forest. It was just big enough to fit her mother and her older brother with a sitting room and kitchen with a dining room. She gently opened the door, and ducked in. She hoped she could flee up the stairs without her mother noticing, but no such luck. Cand's mother, Ambir (meaning hope in Sindarin), had hawk ears and eagle vision, as all mothers seem to have. Ambir saw Cand in the corner of her eye.

"Cand, get down here and stand in front of me!" Ambir shouted angrily.

Cand slowly walked over to her mother, who stood in the kitchen with her hand on her hips. Ambir looked over Cand. Her face reddened with anger. Her brunette hair was up in a messy bun, her apron stained from cooking. She slapped Cand hard in the face before speaking.

"Pe-channes! Dôl gîn lost! (meaning, idiot! Your head is empty! In Sindarin.) Where were you, you useless child?!" Ambir yelled.

Cand bit her bottom lip, as you will see is a habit of hers. "I was hunting."

Ambir's eyebrows furrowed in disgust. "What is the point in hunting, if you kill nothing and bring nothing back?!"

Cand was growing angry herself. "Well, how am I supposed to know if I'm going to kill anything and bring anything back? How will I if I don't try?"

The mother fisted her hands and then relaxed them. "You were probably going to see that prince in the forest!"

"What if I was?" Cand asked, her voice tense.

"He is royalty, you do not belong with him! We have things to do around here, we are poor! We cannot waste our time seeing the rich! You stupid child!" Ambir yelled, her voice just as edgy.

"But…" Cand's voice trailed off, thinking of a way to defend her actions. "I love him!" She knew it sounded foolish, but it was only the truth.

"Foolish girl, you cannot love a prince! He is a prince for Eru's (meaning God's in Sindarin) sake! I'd be flabbergasted if he loved you back, Cand!" Ambir scoffed.

Cand scowled. "Maybe the reason Father left was because he felt flabbergasted that he loved you, too! Ego, mibo orch! (meaning, go kiss an orc! In Sindarin.)"

Ambir's eyebrows raised. She slapped Cand once again. "Go to your room, I'd be happy if I didn't see you until tomorrow!"

Cand scowled at her mother one last time before running up the stairs, and slamming the door in her room. She curled up on her bed, not caring if tears escaped from her tightly closed eyelids. She shook with her tears. Her eyes snapped open when the door creaked open. It was her older brother, Gilgalad (meaning starlight in Sindarin). He sat down on the end of her bed.

"I'm sorry Mother said those things about you. Her heart is still sore." He said gently, reaching over her to brush a piece of golden hair from her face and a tear away.

"I know. It just makes my heart even more sore, though." She said, another tear falling.

"Do you really love Prince Legolas?" He asked, curious.

"Yes." She said, sitting up and swallowing. "I kissed him today in the forest."

Her brother sat with a straight face, though his eyes shone with worry. "I hope you don't get in trouble." He said, fretting.

"I'm fine. Do not worry over me. I wish you to leave now, Gilgalad." Cand said. It broke her heart watch her brother nod and leave, because she knew she still wanted his warming presence. She sighed, and wiped her face. It was a long day ahead for Cand.


	2. Chapter Two: Run Away

Thank you all so much for the polite, helpful comments! I had a question, so I'll answer it:

It is currently Pre-Lotr.

* * *

The next day was rainy. Cand didn't expect another sunny day, seeing as where her luck was going. She woke up late, and had to listen to her mother yell at her one time more. She wasn't sure if she had made the right excuse about 'going hunting' the day before to her mother, because Ambir wouldn't cease to nag her about statuses and being poor. It was a slow next few days for Cand, and every morning she woke up uneasy. Her brother saw how distant she really was in her eyes. He woke her up early and decided to talk to her. Gilgalad aroused her gently from her sleep and sat her upright.

"What is dragging you, my sister? Your eyes are dull, and you seem so far away." He said softly, worry once again gleaming in his eyes as she sleepily looked up at him.

"I don't know… Mother keeps telling me this statuses lecture, and I can't help but think that I don't really love Legolas. He is a prince, and… I'm just me." Cand said, trailing from her sentences.

"Why did you say that you loved him then? You said it once to me, and once to Mother. You even said you kissed him, now why are you saying that you don't?" Gilgalad said, surprised at his sister's words. "And on another note, you are not just 'you'. You're my sister, and Mother's daughter…"

Cand stopped him before he kept listing things she was. "If I was really Mother's daughter, she wouldn't call me names!"

Gilgalad sighed. "I can see your trouble. But what does your heart say?"

"Pardon?" Cand asked, then realized what he was saying. "My heart… Well, I…"

Gilgalad paused a moment before speaking. "If you truly love him, saying that you don't love him is like me saying that I don't love you. I love you Cand, you're my sister. I truly love you. Now, that is something to think about isn't it? Just, make the right choice, okay?"

He patted her hand one last time, and got up to leave. Cand sighed, falling back on her bed. She fell back asleep in the middle of her thoughts.

Cand finally woke, and decided what she would do. She dressed and laced on her boots, secured her quiver on her back, took her bow and as quietly as she could, tiptoed down the stairs. She looked back at the dark little cottage, and fled out the door into the pouring rain. It was still dark, though the sun was slowly rising through the trees. The dirt path that led to the village was muddy and slick. She kept a close eye to the shadows that seemed to follow her. She left a note for Gilgalad, saying that she made up her mind. As she ran away from her home, the mud splashed on her boots, and the rain ran down her face. She stopped for a moment, wondering just where she was going. She heaved before tucking a piece of soaking hair behind her pointed ears. She sat down against a tree.

"Where am I going? Why exactly did I leave?" She whispered to herself.

She realized she didn't have conflict with her mother, or with love. But with herself. Her heart ached from her mother's yelling and lectures, true. Her heart ached from the hard decisions she faced, also true. But only she can let her mother's sharp words and stony glares tear her down, only she can make those decisions. She got up again to continue on. She realized that the path she was taking lead to the village, and ducked into the forest, cluttered with trees and undergrowth. She sighed with relief when the trees protected her from the cold rain. Cand sat down against a tree to rest. Her eyes flung open when she felt a hand wrap around her mouth, and another grab her arm in a strong grip. She tried to scream. She was able to bite the hand that was practically suffocating her.

"Ow!" Cried a voice, removing the hand the voice belonged to from her mouth and dropping her arm. The voice was familiar.

Cand quickly stood up, slipping a bit in the mud. She was finally able to see who her attacker was.

"Legolas?" She cried, rubbing her arm. "What in the world were you doing?"

"I just wanted to see who you were!" Legolas said.

"You gave me quite a scare! Is your hand okay?" She asked, as she took his hand in hers to examine the bite mark.

She suddenly realized the kiss they shared yesterday, and dropped his hands, her face heating up. They stood silently, and it quickly became awkward.

"What are you doing out in the forest?" Cand asked him.

"A better question is, what are _you _doing? I thought your mother won't let you leave the house." Legolas said.

"I… I ran away." Cand admitted.

"How come?" Legolas asked, concerned. "I hope your mother isn't hitting you again…"

"Oh, no fear. She always hits me. She's always calling me names. And… I set out to find something." Cand replied.

"What are you trying to find?" He asked.

"I don't know yet." She replied, confused at her own words.

"That's odd." Legolas stated.

"I know. It all doesn't make sense yet. I'll figure it out." Cand said, mainly to herself.

Legolas looked behind him. "Well, I'll probably meet up with you later, okay? I have to go."

Cand watched him run off. When he was gone, she sighed with an aching heart. She saw that she really didn't make up her mind about loving Legolas. Cand still felt so unsure. She thought she never wanted to see him again. She hated the way her stomach flutters and her heart leaps. She couldn't let herself fall head over heels for an elf. But, I suppose it isn't really her choice. She sat back down, putting her head in her hands.

To Cand, it was all so overwhelming. She wondered what Legolas felt about the sudden kiss in the forest, and now her running away. Cand put her head up, wiping the tears that blended in with the water drops that dripped off the big trees, wet and burdened with water. The rain had stopped, and the birds returned to singing. The sun shone through the canopy of trees. She couldn't go back home. She was tired and hungry, but she didn't care. Cand always felt safe in the forest, but she wasn't so sure now. She tried to occupy herself by braiding her hair.

"Why, hello? Who have we here?" Said a soft voice in Cand's ear.

Cand jumped and scowled. She was tired of people coming up behind her.

"Who are you, what is your name?" Cand asked when she saw a elf that stood about Cand's height.

"I am someone who will take you in. I know the trouble that you face, my dear. Tolo ar nin (meaning 'come join us' in Sindarin)," Said the elf.

"I ask not what your purpose for being here is. I ask what your name is, lady." Cand said, still alert.

"Ah, no need to be tense, my love. I am not here to deliver any harm to you. I am Maerwen (meaning 'good' in Sindarin)." The lady replied.

"Well, Maerwen. I will trust you since I am desperate for shelter. But, remember I am not usually this naïve." Cand replied.

"Then, we shall go." Said Maerwen, smiling warmly. She took Cand's hand in hers, and led her through the forest, back to a little cottage that seemed to be embedded into the woods. She flicked her wrist, and the door opened with her magic.

"I have never seen an elf use magic before… My mother always told me it was a dark thing." Cand said, confused.

"Do not listen to your mother, my dear. Does she not let you down by hitting and yelling at you? Surely you are much more than the names she calls you. In fact, you have magic yourself!" Maerwen exclaimed.

"Why, I do don't I?" Cand frowned, not noticing how Maerwen knew so much into her life. "Maybe you're right."

Maerwen nodded. She led Cand into the small cottage, and the door shut behind them with the strange elf's magic. Cand glanced behind her, but was quickly sat down. Food was set about a table, and she smiled to see steam rising from soup and other delectable looking goods. Maerwen saw that Cand was not eating the food, though.

"My dear, that food is for you." She said.

"Oh, why thank you!" Cand exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. She ate the food vigorously, hardly remembering her manners, as hunger can do to one. When she was finished eating, she looked around to find Maerwen, but was surprised to see she had left. A note was left on the table that said:

_My dear Cand, I have set out to go to the market. You may help yourself to my house, there is a room upstairs for you._

Cand frowned at the elf's hospitality, but she was so tired. She walked up the creaky wooden stairs, and through a door. The room set out for her had a dresser, a furnace, and a bed. She fed the fire that was burning in the furnace and shed her soaking clothes. The bed had a soft quilt laying over it, so Cand quickly drifted off to sleep.


End file.
